Portable refrigerator



M. FUN.

PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR. PPLICATION FILED MAY 15. 1920.

Patented May 3, 1921.

A TTORNEY UNITED STATES JACK M. PUN, OF STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

PORTABLE REFRIGERATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 3, 1921.

Application led May 15, 1920. Serial No. 381,559. v

T 0 @ZZ whom it' may concer-n:

Be it known that I, JACK M. PUN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Stockton, in the county of San Joaquin, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Refrigerators; and l do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to improvements in portable refrigerators such as are used for shipping perishable food-stuifs, and particularly to a type intended to carry drychilled products of all kinds, such as fowl, which it is not desirable shall come in contact with the ice, or the water therefrom, at any time.

The principal object of the invention is to devise a refrigerator for this purpose in which a maximum weight of produce may be carried with a minimum of weight of ice and refrigerator, and in which no ice or ice water can come in contact with the produce at any time.

Another object is to make an airtight refrigerator and to so construct the same that there will be no metal parts, which are good conductors of heat, extending from the exterior to the ice or produce chamber to transmit heat thereto which would be instrumental in causing the warming of the produce and melting of the ice.

A third object is to provide a refrigerator well adapted to withstand the hard usage incident to frequent loading and unloading from railroad cars, trucks, etc.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which will be exceedingly cffective for the purposes for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of .the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similaicharacters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views.

Figure l is a perspective view of the exterior of the refrigerator.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of the same.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral l denotes the exterior box or casing, preferably' of wood, and lined with cork composition 2 or some similar light and non-heat conducting material, which projects above the top of the casing 1 all around the same for a suitable distance.

rIhis leaves a shelf or ledge 3 around the casing to support a rubber gasket l.

A cover 5, of similar construction to the casing l, rests on the gasket. y

Metal straps 6 pass around the outside of the casing and have formed therewith hinges 7 along` the abutting line of one edge of the cover with the corresponding casing-shelf. Across the top of the cover these straps converge, having formed therewith at that point a slotted projection 6 adapted to receive a pin 8 hinged to the converging straps 6 thercbelow, such pin having a wing nut 9 threaded thereon and adapted to bear down on the portion 6a.

By this means, a simple fastening is provided between the cover and the casing, while at the same time the casing is both strengthened and protected by the practically continuous metal straps. The catch members are so positioned relative to each other that when in engagement, the gasket 4 is firmly squeezed between the cover and the casing-shelf to exclude all air. Bolts or screws are used to secure the straps to the casing which do not extend through the cork lining 2.

In the interior of the casing is a metal receptacle l0, spaced from the sides of the casing to form air passageways 1l, which communicate with the interior of the receptacle by means of a plurality of holes 12 in the sides thereof. The top of the receptacle laps over the top of the cork lining, and then bends down and terminates adjacent the shelf 3.

The gasket 4l is therefore preferably made of a lesser width than the shelf, so that it may be kept from contact with the metal, and so preventing any tendency of the rubber from transmitting any heat from the exterior to the metal of the receptacle.

The sides of said receptacle are held in spaced alinement from the lining 2 by means of cleats 1e positioned at intervals therebetween, and secured either to the receptacle or to thecork.

A central well 14 is fixed to the bottom of the receptacle and projects upwardly a certain distance.

Resting on top of the well and also on cross-cleats 15 fixed to the receptacle 1G, isV

what may be termed a combination ice container and cover for said receptacle. This member 16 consists of a lbottom 17 flaring upwardly and outwardly from the edges of the well to the sides of the receptacle. `From this point the sides 17 of the container er.- tend to the top of the receptacle parallel and adjacent to the sides thereof, and are then bent over somewhat and then bent do v, 1n to a termination adjacent the angle of the bottom with the sides as 18, thus form- Ving a triangular air cli mber i9 allV around the upper portion of the container. loles 20 are cut through both walls of this air chamber at spaced intervals, the holes in the outer wall being lower than those in the inner walls.

The bottom of the container extends dow into the well 14 somewhat as 21, and is spaced from the sides thereof to allow of a flow of 'air from said well into the receptacle through holes 22 in the well positioned therein so as to be Vprotected by the portion 21, so that ice or water can never run through said holes. Y

A drain pipe 23 leading to the exterior of the refrigerator ishtted in the bottom of the well.

The member 1G is removable from the refrigerator, and the receptacle 10 is likewise removable, the well 14 being permanently fixed therein.

To load the refrigerator, the member 16 is removed, and the produce to be shipped,

vpreferably already chilled, is placed in the receptacle .10 all around the well 14, and as high as the top of the same. The member 1 6 is then replat and it and the well 14 are then neared *with ice prior to fastening down Vne main cover 5.

If this packing opcmtion is properly carried out, it should not be necessary to reice the refrigerator even on a journey consuming several days, since the refrigerator is absolutely air-tight except for the drainpipe at the bottom, which on account of its position, will not take any warm air therein.

The air inclosed in the refrigerator can of course readily circulate from the receptacle to the ice container and vice versa through the various sets of holes 12, 20

4and 22.

It is of course understood that the well 14 has watertight connection with the bottom of the receptacle, so that no ice water can pass from one to the other.

or the well, andL terminatine` sliehtl below 'the holes 22. lllius any water accumulating at this level, will be drained out through E e bottom, and regardless of Ywhether the refrigerator a whole is perfectly horizontal or not.

the foregoing description it will be `cadibf seen that' l have produced such a 6 i -e subsuintially fullils the object of c enticn set forth herein.

llilhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what l: claim new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A refrigerator comprising a receptacle to receive the produce, a water tight ice lwell in the receptacle, a removable combined cover and ice'retainer fitted in the receptacle above the well and in commimication therewith, the bottom of the well he ving a dra-in outlet, and a small pipe leading from a. point substantially at the top of the well to the drain outlet and communicating there with. Y

2. fi refrigerator comprising a receptacle adapted to receive the produce therein, a water-tight ice-well positioned in the receptacle and spaced from the walls thereof, and a removable combined cover and ice retainer fitted in the receptacle above the well and communicating therewith. said last named member being also itself covered.

A. refrigerator comprising a casing lined with heat-insulating material, a receptacle positioned therein and spaced from the walls thereof, a water-tight well mounted in the receptacle centrally thereof and adapted to receive ice, another ice-container removably fitted in the receptacle above the well and emptying thereinto, and means whereby a circulation of air between the icecontainers and the receptacle at various points may be had without the possibility of ice or wat-er getting into the receptacle.

4. A refrigerator comprising a casing, a

lining therein spaced from the casing and and spaced Wall, the latter being provided adapted to receive the produce, an ice con- With holes in both thicknesses, the holes in tainer fitted in the receptacle and arranged the outer Wall being lower than those in the 10 to hold ice so that the latter may extend for inner wall and communicating With holes 5 the height of the produce and above the in the lining, and the latter having addisame as Well, the upper Walls of the ice contional holes below the upper ice container. tainer lying adjacent the lining and being In testimony whereof I alix my sifrnature. bent inwardly and down to form a double JACK M. UN. 

